


Mama’s Little Helper

by hermioneclone



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Fluff, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-07
Updated: 2014-07-07
Packaged: 2018-02-18 04:10:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2334776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hermioneclone/pseuds/hermioneclone
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the Hales get robbed, Melissa is hesitant to let Derek stay at their house until he gets back on her feet, but Scott insists. It might be the best decision of her life.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mama’s Little Helper

Initially, Melissa McCall had not been thrilled about the idea of Derek Hale moving into her home.

In part, Scott had caught her after a particularly hard shift. They had lost a patient and her nerves were frayed to begin with. But that wasn’t his fault and it wasn’t the only reason for her hesitation. She remembered all too well what his uncle had turned out to be, and while Derek seemed perfectly nice and Scott trusted him…she couldn’t.

But Scott could be determined when he wanted to be.

_“Mom, he’s lost everything and he’s got nowhere to go. He needs our help.”_

_Melissa sighed. “Scott, I don’t know about this…”_

_“You let Isaac stay with us, why is this different?”_

_“Isaac was still a minor, he needed to stay somewhere and if not us he would have been placed somewhere else. But Derek’s a big boy, he can take care of himself. Wasn’t he on his own for a while after the fire?”_

_Scott shook his head. “He still had his older sister back then. But now she’s dead, his other sister Cora left town, and his only option is the equally broke Peter, and we both know how dangerous he is. And I’m not about to let him sink his claws into Derek anymore than he already has, not when I know he’s trying so hard to distance himself from him. Please Mom?”_

_She didn’t know if it had anything to do with Scott’s power or was just innate, but she couldn’t say no to those puppydog eyes, not when she knew that everything Scott said was true. “Fine. But only until he gets back on his feet. We’re not running some sort of hotel for strays, okay?”_

_“Thanks Mom,” Scott gushed, pulling her into a bone splitting hug. “You’re the best.”_

_“Yeah, yeah,” she muttered, smiling as she hugged him back._

But today was the day. Derek was finally moving in. He would be staying in Isaac’s old room, which had been left virtually untouched when he had left town with Chris Argent on some around the world mourning/healing/training trip. She still didn’t know the details, but he had gotten permission to take some online courses to make up for lost class time and the trip was justified as an extended immersive educational experience.

Scott had gone over to the loft Derek could no longer afford to help him pack the last of his things. As much as she wasn’t sure that this was a bright idea, she couldn’t help but feel proud of her son, always trying to help people, trying to do the right thing. She just hoped that his optimism about people wouldn’t come back to bite him, especially in his world.

Melissa anxiously tidied up the house as she waited. She was glad they were doing this when she was home; it would have been too weird if she just came home from work one day and Derek was all moved in. But at least if she was working she would have a distraction. After the dishes were all washed and put away and the living room had been vacuumed and dusted twice, the key clicked in the lock and Scott walked in, carrying a large dufflebag. “Hey Mom, we’re here,” he greeted, walking over to give her a hug.”

“Do you need any help carrying his things in?” she asked.

“Thanks Mrs. McCall, but this is everything,” Derek replied, looking a little bashful as he entered the house with a suitcase and another bag.

She frowned. “That’s it?”

Derek nodded. “I lost basically everything in the fire, and then my sister and I were on the move a lot afterwards. Even once I moved to the loft…, well, I like knowing that I could pick up and leave if I need to.”

“Ah,” Melissa hummed. It did make sense, especially for someone who had lost so much. Still, it didn’t jive with the fact that Scott had told her that the theft has been over a million dollars. This sure didn’t sound like some rich kid. “Well, how about you get settled in, I’m sure Scott can show you your room and give you the tour. I figured we could order pizza.”

“Sounds good, Mom,” Scott replied.

“Mrs. McCall, I just wanted to thank you for your hospitality. I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I get a job and can afford my own place again. You won’t even be able to tell I’m here, I promise.”

“Mh hmm,” Melissa scoffed in disbelief, remembering how much the house changed when Isaac had been staying with them. “We’ll see about that.”

*#*#*#*#*#*#*

Living with Derek was going surprisingly smoothly. He mostly kept to himself but he was actually really pleasant to talk to once you got past the whole brooding exterior. Melissa wondered what she had been so concerned about initially; Scott had been right. Derek was a sweet, if wounded man, and it was amazing what a little kindness could do. When he first moved in, Melissa had checked in on him and Scott to ask what kind of toppings they wanted and was struck by the look of awe Derek wore on his face as he gazed around the room. This was a guy who had a whole apartment to himself and was enthralled by a simple bedroom.

About a week into the arrangement, Melissa walked downstairs, ready to grab a bowl of cereal before her shift at the hospital, but when she walked into the kitchen, Derek was at the stove, an apron around his waist, cooking some delicious smelling eggs. He looked in her direction as she entered, smiling bashfully. “Hello, Mrs. McCall, would you like some breakfast?”

“Sure,” she replied, dazed, as she sat down at the table. “What’s this for?”

Derek shrugged as he divided the eggs onto two plates-she wondered if he had intended to eat all of them himself-and add some strawberries and toast to the plate. “I just wanted to,” he replied, setting the steaming dish in front of her. “Bon appetite.”

Melissa took a bite and she closed her eyes to savor the taste. “Oh my god, these are delicious, how did you learn how to make them so well?”

“My dad taught me, when I was a kid. He was the chef in our family. He always said it was important to enjoy your food, no matter what you were eating. That way you had something to savor even if you didn’t have quite enough.”

“He sounds like a wise man.”

“Yeah,” Derek replied, his eyes going to some faraway place. “I think about him a lot when I cook. It’s hard sometimes, but it’s nice.”

“I can imagine. You know, feel free to cook anytime. If you make anything else as good as these eggs, I’d love to try it.”

After that there was a warm dinner on the table every night. She tried telling Derek he didn’t have to, but he insisted, saying it was the least that he could do, and it kept him occupied while he looked for work. Unfortunately, he hadn’t been employed…ever…so he was having a bit of trouble, even with entry level jobs. If cooking dinner was his way of giving back, she figured she could let him. She had been wanting to cut back on the amount of takeout that they ate and Derek even volunteered to take care of the grocery shopping so that was one less thing to do.

*#*#*#*#*#*#*

Two weeks had gone by when Derek approached her first thing in the morning. “I hate to bother you Mrs. McCall-”

“Derek, I think it’s about time you drop this Mrs. McCall business and just call me Melissa.”

“Right,” he muttered. “I hate to bother you, but do you have any quarters? I thought I had enough but I think I’m a few short. I have bills I could give you, I just need coins.”

“I’m sure I have some, what are you doing, going to an arcade?” she asked, pulling out her wallet.

“No, it’s just time for me to do laundry. I’m almost out of clothes.”

Melissa raised an eyebrow at him, lowering her wallet. “Derek, our washing machine isn’t quarter operated. You just turn the dial and push the button and it goes.”

“I know,” Derek replied, shifting uneasily. “I’m taking it to the laundromat. I don’t want to be a bother.”

Melissa shook her head. “Look, if you really would prefer to lug all of your clothes downtown, all power to you. But you’re welcome to use ours, you are living here. I really don’t mind. Save your money, I know it’s been hard finding work.”

“Thank you, Mrs. Mc…I mean Melissa. Are you sure?”

“Yes Derek. Keep your quarters.”

After that, Melissa would come home to laundry miraculously washed and folded, neatly left on the bed. It started with towels and washcloths, though eventually both her clothes and Scott’s miraculously got clean. She even noticed that Scott’s underwear underwent the mysterious cleaning process, though hers remained safely in the laundry bin. She couldn’t help but smile at that; it was endearing that he was so courteous. And she didn’t mind doing a load or two of laundry every once in a while.

*#*#*#*#*#*#*

About a month after the laundry started, Derek finally found a job. It was at a construction site; they had needed someone with a great deal of strength to do some grunt work and his abilities gave him a competitive edge. Though he explained to them he was careful not to be too good at the job, it did mean that he didn’t have to work quite so hard as most of the other workers, which meant he still had plenty of energy for other things.

“Derek, honey, can you take your shoes off when you come in from the site?” Melissa asked one evening as he came home. “I noticed yesterday that the mud tracked in after you got back.”

“Of course, sorry about that Melissa,” he replied, quickly complying. “Do you need any help with dinner?”

She shook her head. “Lasagna is in the oven and should be out soon. Go, sit down, take a few minutes to relax.”

The next morning, the floor was spotless.

Then suddenly she never seemed to have to dust anymore. And the trash took itself out and her attempts to vacuum were seriously curbed by the fact that there was rarely anything there. When the hell did he have time to do this all? Unless Scott was secretly helping him.

*#*#*#*#*#*#*#*

Three months later, Derek announced that he had saved up enough to strike out on his own again.

It took Melissa by surprise. She had gotten so used to his presence that the thought of him leaving wasn’t an easy one to swallow.

“Where is it?” she asked, genuinely curious, even if she wanted him to stay.

“Here’s the listing,” he responded, passing a printed page over in her direction. She looked at it, balking at the location.

“You can’t live here,” she replied.

“It was the only place I could afford that wasn’t crawling with bugs,” he explained.

“This isn’t a good part of town, do you know how many cases we get at the hospital from over there?”

“Mom, super healing powers? He’ll be fine.”

“Scott’s right, I’ll be fine,” Derek assured her, smiling a little in amusement but seeming touched by her concern.

“You don’t have to leave, you know.”

Derek shook his head. “I don’t want to be a burden.”

Melissa fought the urge to roll her eyes. “I would hardly call you that. It’s not a problem at all, seriously. Why don’t you stay a little longer, save up some more and get a nicer place? Besides, what happens if something happens at work? Wait until you’re more secure, okay? There’s really no rush for you to leave.”

Derek looked at her hesitatingly. “I don’t know…I feel like I’m freeloading as it is.”

Melissa looked at him blankly. “Derek, you’ve done most of the cooking, cleaning, and laundry the past four months or so, plus have been working almost full time. I can assure you, you are not freeloading.” She thought for a moment. “Look, would it make you feel any better if you paid rent? Here, how about this: fifty dollars a week plus chipping in on some of the groceries. That way you feel like a productive member of society but you don’t blow your money on a place no one should be living.”

Derek looked confused by her offer, glancing at Scott for assistance, but her son just shrugged and shot him a look that clearly read, “Your call, dude.”

“Okay. You’ve got yourself a deal.”

It was the best deal Melissa ever made.


End file.
